Feed attachment for die-presses.



No. 663,980. Patented 1m. I8, 1900. A. J. PARKER.

FEED ATTACHMENT FOR DIE PRESSES. (Application filed May 25, 1900.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shut l;

/k MWWW T No. 663,980; Patented Dec. [8, I900. A. J. PARKER.

FEED ATTACHMENT FOB DIE PBESSES.

(Application filed May 25, 1900.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

QMWMMH m w w THE Ncnm warms cu. movauwoq wnsnmmow, my CV UNITED STATES ATENT FFICE.

ARTHUR JQPARKER, OF HOWELL, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO HUGH A. MCPHERSON, OF SAME PLACE.

FEED ATTACHMENT FOR DlE-PRESSES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. dated December 1 1 I Application filed May 25, 1900.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ARTHUR J. PARKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Howell, in the county of Livingston and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Feed Attachment for Die-Presses, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improved feed attachment for die-presses used in cutting and strik- IO ing up caps for can -'tops and cutting and striking up the tops and bottoms for cans and the like from sheet-tin or other sheet metal, one object of my invention being to provide means for automatically feeding the sheet to.

the die during the operation of the press, the feeding mechanism being operative during the intervals when the die is withdrawn from the counter-die.

A further object of my invention is to cffeet improvements in the feed mechanism of the die-press whereby the tin may be economized by the cutting of caps for can-tops from the spaces in the sheets of tin left between the openings formed by the cutting of the tops and bottoms.

My invention consists in the peculiar construction and combination of devices hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

0 In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a die-press provided with my improved automatic feed attachment. Fig. 2 is a detail elevation of my improved feed attachment, showing the same in 3 5 operative relation to the coacting parts of the press. Fig. 3 is a plan view, partly in section, of the feed-carriage. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the feed-bar, the feed and retaining dogs, and the automatic tripping 4o mechanism. Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views of the cam and rod for automatically operating the clutch to throw the die-press in and out of gear. Fig. 7 is a diagram of a sheet of tin used in connection with the die-press as material from which the can tops and bottoms and caps of the can-tops are cut and struck up.-

In the manufacture of tops and bottoms of tin cans used for the preservation of fruits,

5o vegetables, and other products the same are cut and struck up from sheets of tin by die- Serial No. 17,954. (No model.)

presses especially constructed for this purpose. Such a die-press (indicated at A, Fig.

I) is not of my invention and is not therefore m ore particularly.described herein. The tops and bottoms of cans Which are circular in shape are cut and struck up from the sheettin successively by the press, leaving rows of circular openings in the sheet-tin and interspaces which are of sufficient area to enable the caps employed in connection with the cantops to be struck therefrom.

My improved feedattachment is efficient in so feeding the sheet-tin to the die prior to the cutting and striking up of the can tops and bottoms that the caps for the can-covers are cut and struck up from these interspaces prior to the manufacture of the tops and bottoms, thereby almost entirely utilizing the sheet-tin and effecting an economy thereof in the material used in the manufacture of the caps.

In Fig. 7 is shown a sheet of tin such as furnishes material for the manufacture of can tops and bottoms and caps for can-tops, the dotted circles to representing the openings left therein when the tops and bottoms have been cut therefrom, and 5 representing the interspaces from which the caps c are cut.

In the embodiment of my invention I provide a feed-carriage 1, which comprises a longitudinal plate 2, standards 3 at the ends thereof, and a feed-bar 4, which is supported by and secured to the standards and is disposed parallel with the plate 2. The said 8 feed-bar is provided on its upper side with notches 5 of suitable number appropriately spaced apart, the space from center to center of two of the notches being equal to the distance from center to center between two of 0 the openings cut by the die-press from a sheet of tin in the manufacture of the can tops and bottoms and caps for the can-tops. The feedplate 2 is provided on its upper side with spring-clips 6, adapted to engage one side of 5 a sheet of tin and secure thesame on the feedplate, and the latter is provided with appropriately-located gage-studs 7.

The die d of the press is carried by the diehead 6, which operates between guidewaysf. too The feed-bar 4 travels in brackets 8, which are secured to the lower portion of the guideways f, as at 9, by means of suitable bolts, the feed-carriage being adapted to travel back and forth in a plane at right angles to the path of the die and slightly beyond the same. A volute spring 10 has one end attached to a suitable support, as at 11, and the free end of the said spring is attached to the under side of the feed-plate 2 near one end thereof, as at 12. The function of the said volute spring is to impart retrograde motion to the feedcarriage in order to return the same to its initial position after one row of the caps have been cut out and struck up by the coacting die d and counter-die g. In order to prevent concussion, I employ an air-compressing cylinder or dash-pot 13, which is open on its outer end and is secured to and projects from one side of one of the guides f, and attach a piston 14 to the upturned end 15 of the feedbar, the said piston as the feed-carriage nears the limit of its in or retrograde stroke entering the compressing-cylinder or dashpot, compressing the air therein and hence acting as a cushion to prevent concussion.

In the operation of the feed-carriage the same on its outstroke, during which the caps are cut and struck up by the coacting die and counter-die, is operated by a step-by-step movement, the feed-carriage being retained at each step while a cap is being cut out and struck up by a retaining-dog 16, which is pivotally attached to the outer feed-guide 8 and is normally depressed by a spring 17, the said retaining-dog engaging the notches 5 in the feed-bar in succession. The feed-carriage is moved step by step in its outward stroke by a feed-dog 18, which is carried by a bell-crank lever 19. Said bell-cranklever is fulcrumed on a supporting-bracket 20, which is bolted to one of the guidesf of the press. One arm of the bell-crank lever is con neeted by a pitman 21 to a crank-pin 22, with which a wheel 23 is provided, which is fast on the operating crank-shaft h of the die-press. Hence upon each revolution of the crank-shaft h, which operates the die-head carrying the die, the feed-dog 18, being initially in engagement with one of the notches 5 of the feed-bar, will move the feed-carriage one step, a distance corresponding to the space from center to center of the openings in a row cut from the sheet of tin by the coacting die and counterdie, the feed mechanism hereinbefore described being so timed and adjusted that the feed-carriage is stationary while the die is in operation and moves a single step when the die is withdrawn from the counter-die, thereby feeding the sheet appropriately to the die, as will be understood.

A counter-shaft 24 derives its power from the shaft h. Said shaft 24 is journaled in bearing-brackets 25, bolted to the frame of the press, and is provided at one end on one side of the press with a cam-wheel 26, and is provided at its opposite end with a sprocketwheel 27. A stub-shaft 28, which is an idle shaft, is journaled in a bearing 29, and fast thereon are a sprocket-wheel and sprocketpinion 31. The latter is connected with the sprocket-wheel 27 by an endless sprocketchain 32, and the sprocket-wheel 30 is connected to a sprocket-pinion on the shaft h by an endless sprocket-chain 33. It will be understood that by being thus connected to the shaft h the counter-shaft 24 is rotated at a lower rate of speed than said shaft h, the rate of speed of the shaft 24 with relation to the shaft 71. being determined by the length of the sheets of tin fed to the press and the size of the can tops and bottoms and the number thereof cut in a single row from a sheet of tin. Assuming that six can tops or hottoms are cut in a row from a sheet of tin, the shaft 24 willbe rotated only once to six revolutions of the shaft h, and the sizes of the sprocket-wheels or other means employed to communicate power and motion from the shaft h to the shaft 24 will be regulated accordingly. The cam-wheel 26 is provided on one side with an opening 34, adapted to receive an antifriction-tappet or stop-roller 35, carried in the head of a substantially vertically-disposed rod 36, which travels in suitable guides, (indicated at 3'7 for the purposes of illustration.) The said rod 36 is connected to a suitable clutch by any suitable means for automatically throwing the power-shaft h of the die-press into or out of gear to ac tuate or stop the operation of the die-press. The said cam-wheel 26 is so located on the shaft 24 that the tappet or stop-roller of rod 36 engages the opening 34 in the camwheel when the feed-carriage reaches the limit of its outstroke, the rod 36 moving upward by a spring which bears against it, and thereby engaging the tappet or stop-roller 35' with said opening 34. A rock-shaft 38 is mounted in suitable bearings, has an arm which engages the under side of the feed-dog 16, said arm being indicated at 39, and has an arm 40, which extends through an opening 41 near the free end of the feed-dog 18. The said rock-shaft 38 has at one end a crankarm 42, which is connected by a link-rod 43 to one end of a rocking lever 44, the other end of said lever being'connected to the lower end of the rod 36, and said lever being also connected by a rod 45 to the treadle i of the die-press. The said treadle is normally raised by the spring 70, and it will be observed by reference to the drawings, more particularly to Fig. 4 thereof, that the upstroke of the treadle i occasioned by the spring 70 when the foot of the operator is removed from the treadle causes the rod 45 to move upward, together with the rod 36. The latter engages its roller 35 with the opening 34 of cam-wheel 26, and through the lever 44, link 43, and crank-arm 42 the rock-shaft 38 is partly turned in one direction, causing the arms 39 40 thereof to raise the dogs 16 and 18 and disengage the same from the feed-bar 4,

of tin has been placed and adjusted on the plate 2 of the feed-carriage, the operator depresses the treadle 2', thereby drawing downward on the rod 45 and the rod 36. This downward movement of the rod 45 operates the lever 44 in such manner as to cause the same to return the rock-shaft 38 to the position shown in Fig. 4 with the arms 39 thereof lowered to release the dogs 16 18 and cause the same to rengage the feedbar 4. The downward movement of rod 36 withdraws the roller 35, from the opening 34 of cam-wheel 36 and simultaneously operates the clutch in such manner as to throw the press in gear and start the same in operation, the roller 35 by engaging the concentric face of cam-wheel 26 maintaining the rod 36 in its depressed position until the camwheel makes one complete revolution, when the said rod 36 by the movement of the spring It causes the roller 35 to rengage said opening 34, as hereinbefore stated, and the feeddogs to be disengaged from the feed-bar of the carriage, thereby throwing the press out of operation while the operator readjusts the sheet of tin on the feed-carriage.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. The combination with a die-press, of a feed-carriage, means to operate the same in one direction simultaneously with the press by a step-by-step movement, means to automatically disengage the feed devices from the carriage when the latter reaches the limit of its outstroke and simultaneously and automatically throw the press out of gear, and means to return the feed-carriage to its initial position while the press is out of gear, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a die-press, of a feed-carriage, means to operate the same in one direction simultaneously with the press by a step-by-step movement, means to automatically disengage the feed devices from the carriage when the latter reaches the limit of its outstroke and simultaneously and automatically throw the press out of gear, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a die-press, of a feed-carriage having a feed-bar, a bell-crank lever, operated by the press and having a feed-dog to engage said feed-bar and actuate said carriage by a step-by-step movement, in one direction, a spring to move said carriage in the reverse direction, a retaining-dog, engaging said feed-bar to lock said carriage against reverse movement, and means operated by the press and connected to said feed and retaining dogs to simultaneously disengage the same from the feed-bar when the feed-carriage reaches the limit of its outstroke, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a die-press, of a feed-carriage comprising a feed-plate, having spring-clips on its upper side to engage one side of a sheet of tin, and gage-studs to adjust the tin sheet, means to operate the same in one direction simultaneously with the press by step-by-step movement, means to automatically disengage the feed devices from the carriage when the latter reaches the limit of its outstroke and simultaneously and automatically throw the press out of gear, and means to return the feed-carriage to its initial position while the press is out of gear, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR J. PARKER.

Witnesses:

J. I. VAN KEUREN, J r., FRANK E. LANSING. 

